Paper Recycling

Paper Recycling

New Paper Creations

Paper is something that we use all the time. This is very true in a business setting. The good thing is that paper can easily be recycled. In fact, about 56% of all of it that is consumed annually will be recycled. The amount continues to increase too and that is something we can all be proud of. The amount of paper recycled annually is enough to equal 360 pounds for every person living in the United States.

When a ton of paper is recycled it means that 3.3 cubic yards less is filled up at the landfill. As you can see that means a huge volume of area saved every single year. It is important for businesses, schools, and homes to all do what they can to cut down on paper use.

Some ideas include sending emails instead of cards. There are even e-cards offered online that make it possible to send cut animations, graphics, and to type a personal note. All of this can be quickly sent to the people you choose. Get on the list to stop junk mail too so that you won’t have volumes of it coming every single day.

Once paper is collected it is taken to a recycling processing location. It is separated based on grade. If the paper has forms of trash or other debris on it those elements have to be removed. Then it is compacted to create large bales where it will be taken to the paper mill for processing.

The fibers from the paper are shredded and mixed with water. This process is going to create pulp. That will be washed and refined and then cleaned again. Next it goes through a process with a beater that turns it isn’t a slushy type of substance. That substance is then processed to create various types of paper.

You may be interested to learn that paper can typically be recycled up to 7 times before it is no longer good enough quality. When it has been recycled too many times it ends up falling apart and not being able to be part of the overall mixture to create new paper.

However, that is a very strong point to make – that paper can be recycled that many times. So when a single piece of it goes to a landfill instead of being recycled it is really costing the environment not just once but quite a few times.

The more we recycle paper products the less likely we are going to be cutting down more of the forests. Today the trees are already disappearing at high rates. That process can upset the balance of the living entities of that environment. Plus, it takes many years for trees to grow again once they have been cut down to make paper. It is estimated that 25 million trees are saved annually just due to the process of recycling newspapers.

The goal for the industry though is to make sure that 65% of paper is recycled by 2012. If we all continue to take action then that goal can easily be met. Educating each other, reminding each other, and even cutting down on the amount of paper that we use can make a huge difference for the future of our environment. This can allow us to save water and other resources because it takes less to recycle paper than to make it from raw materials.

At this point approximately 87% of people living in the United States have some form of paper recycling program in their community. Those that don’t have such programs are strongly encouraged to take action. Talk to community leaders to see how such a program can get off the ground.

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